MÁXIMA, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! STOP ATTACKS AGAINST TERRITORIAL DEFENDERS!

#Let’sDefendWomenDefenders

Máxima Acuña is a territorial defender in Peru, known throughout the world for her struggle against the Conga mega mining project of the Newmont Mining Corporation and the Buenaventura Mines Company. Last April she was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, which Berta Cáceres received the year before.

During her long history as a human rights defender, Máxima and her family have been the target of many different attacks, including criminalization, which led the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to grant her precautionary protective measures.

Even so, on Sunday, September 18, Máxima and her family were victims of a new attack by the employees of the Yanacocha Mining Company.

We, of IM-Defensoras stand in solidarity with Máxima Acuña and her family. We call on the international community to stay on the alert for developments in this case and demand that the government of Peru comply with its obligation to guarantee the defender’s security.